The New Normal – 11-20 – Pokenet Interlude
[A NEW CRISIS AWAKENS IN INDIGO AS THE CINNABAR VOLCANO ERUPTS! MASS EVACUATION OF THE ISLAND AS LAVA FLOODS OVER EVERYTHING!] By The Indigo Post.
[Pictures of the lava flowing out of the Cinnabar Volcano]
A state of emergency was announced today by Champion Lance following the surprising eruption of the Cinnabar Volcano. The residents of Cinnabar Island were greeted with a nasty surprise as lava began spilling out from the top, creating a deadly and destructive tide of magma that consumed all in its wake.
The silver lining is that the Cinnabar Island leadership and the wider Indigo League were all ready. In a commendable display of organisation from our leaders, who must have worked tirelessly to ensure that a steady stream of boats, ships, and other transport Pokémon or vessels could arrive and evacuate the stranded residents of Cinnabar Island in time before they were caught by the lava.
And yet, we mustn't forget about the courage of the trainers who braved the scorching flames as they put themselves between the raging tide of magma and the civilians behind them. With determination and bravery in their hearts, they stood their ground and bought precious time for the rest of the League to finish up with the evacuation – doing whatever they could to stall the incoming eruption for as long as possible.
Gym Leader Blaine certainly stepped up to the plate, showing off the reason why he was chosen to be the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island. Eyewitness reports all state that he was one of the first to have placed himself in the path leading to the most populated area of Cinnabar Island, and he single handedly held back the wave of lava for a whole minute with his powerful Fire Types.
If it wasn't for their efforts, we may have suffered a far greater tragedy.
[Pictures of trainers doing the best to stall the erupting tide of lava. Blaine is shown in the forefront with his Pokémon]
We at The Indigo Post are proud to say that the evacuation efforts from Cinnabar Island was a great success. Although there were still casualties, many of which stemmed from those that panicked in their attempt to rush to the evacuation zones, the reports all show that the casualty numbers are far lower than one might expect during such a crisis.
Unfortunately, we acknowledge that the damage to the Island was substantial – to the point where nothing remains of the Island. Everything, including the Cinnabar Gym, was consumed by the flames. However, the successful evacuation of the residents was well worth the trade.
Overall, this writer is incredibly proud of the efforts of the Indigo League and the brave trainers that took a stand to do all that they could to ensure the safe evacuation of the residents of Cinnabar Island. While the crisis is far from over, as there are now thousands of civilians in desperate need of new housing, we here at The Indigo Post wish them the best in these trying times.
Let us know what you think of today's events. We hope that any of you living in Cinnabar Island have gotten out safe and without harm.
We wish you all the best. Comment your thoughts and experiences down below!
Comments
TangelaThoughts
I hope everyone's okay! You have my sincere condolences to anyone who was caught up in that disaster!
Remember, there are multiple charities that you can donate to if you want to contribute towards the rebuilding of Cinnabar Island or if you just want to give a little something for the unfortunate victims that were affected by this crisis.
You can click here for a list of links to the charities.
KantoRepresent
Kantonians aren't going to be brought down by a mere eruption! We are stronger than that! To everyone affected by the eruption – stay firm. Better times lie ahead! Kanto will protect their own!
FutureAce
Woah, I caught a glimpse of the army of Flying Pokémon that just descended on the city. I thought we were getting invaded for a moment there until I remembered the eruption alert that we all got.
Watching all of those Flying Pokémon help evacuate the civilians was something else. I never thought I would see so many Pokémon gathered in one place.
SlugmaBalls
…Everyone in Cinnabar Island has my utmost thoughts and prayers. I can't imagine what you guys are all going through.
Thinking about the possibility of Mt. Chimney erupting scares me. They reported that they got most of the people out safe, is that true?
TangelaThoughts
SlugmaBalls Yes, the news agencies weren't lying this time. I spoke to my friend who was caught up in the crisis – he said that the evacuation was a major success.
Still, they did lose most if not all of their belongings. So it's not a complete win.
FearTheRat
Very proud of our brave trainers for doing their best to help everyone make it out safely. I'm not sure if I would have the bravery to stand in the way of an oncoming tidal wave of lava, so props to those that were.
Gym Leader Blaine really stepped up as well. Good on him.
LoveIsEterna
Let us know if there's anything you need from us in Sinnoh! We'd be happy to help! I've already donated!
IceColdSimp
If only Lorelei was not in Sinnoh, she would be able to stop the lava by herself with her Ice types! What a shame!
[DAYS AFTER THE ERUPTION! WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CINNABAR VOLCANO'S ERUPTION?!] by The Indigo Post
[Current pictures of Cinnabar Island that is still flooded with lava, where many fliers could be seen hovering above as they inspected the Island]
First and foremost, for those readers amongst us that were unfortunate enough to be caught up in the events of the Cinnabar's Volcano eruption, you have our utmost condolences and we wish that you have settled comfortably into your new accommodations.
For those unaware of the situation, Champion Lance has recently announced that Indigo was no longer under a state of emergency, and that all emergency forces could be returned to their usual duties. He states that the evacuees from Cinnabar Island have all been temporarily rehoused in either Pokémon Centres or other similar housing facilities all across Indigo as the cleanup of Cinnabar Island continues.
Champion Lance said this in a recent press conference.
"We are aiming to have Cinnabar Island cleared of all the residue lava and for houses to be rebuilt on the Island to the standard of their former glory as soon as possible, with a goal to have everything rebuilt before the end of the next circuit. Not only that, but I have been assured that Cinnabar Island will be rebuilt with even more defensive measures in place so that another eruption from their volcano could not cause such widespread damage again."
"The systems that were previously in place were effective, but could have been improved. Now that we have the opportunity to rebuild the city from scratch, we be placing the safety of its residents from another incident like this as our utmost priority. It will be a busy time for our workers, but I have faith that this can be accomplished."
"I would also like to express my sincere respects to those that had to be evacuated from the Island. I understand that you have been through some tough times, so you have my genuine appreciation for being able to stay calm and not letting your emotions get the better of you. Thank you for maintaining a semblance of calm and order even when emotions were running wild – you have done your region proud."
Yet in the entire press conference, Lance had conspicuously avoided the topic of where responsibility would fall for the events of the eruption. By the Champion's own admission, there could have been better systems in place that would have further limited the damage, or prevented casualties from appearing at all.
It is clear that someone, if not a whole group of people, have been acting negligently when it came to shoring up the defenses of Cinnabar Island against the eruption. While we here at the Indigo Post do not like to point fingers, we believe that it is just for an investigation to be conducted to identify where the Cinnabar Island administration failed and could have done better.
Let us know what you think in the comments about who you all think was responsible for this crisis. Or do you think this was merely an act of nature, and therefore was a blameless situation?
Comments
FlyingHigh
Glad to see the Indigo League admitting that there was more they could have done and that they are taking steps to correct this oversight.
Hope we see that the newly rebuilt Cinnabar Island will prevent a disaster like this from happening again.
FutureAce
So…I hope this isn't too dumb, but why don't you just plug up the Cinnabar Volcano? So that nothing like this happens again?
TangelaThoughts
FutureAce Plugging up a volcano generally leads to a build up of pressure and a more explosive eruption. All in all, bad times for everyone.
ILoveGoldenRod
I don't know about you, but I feel like we should be talking more about what the Cinnabar administration / Indigo League could have done more to stop the eruption from being as damaging as it was. Especially when they practically admitted that more could have been done.
I agree that an investigation needs to be done. We need to find out who's responsible, if only so that we provide justice to those who have suffered.
FearTheRat
It's probably some League official that was appointed that was negligent. You know how they love to cut corners.
AlluteNinja
I do indeed hope all of the evacuees are settling in well to their temporary homes. I saw the Fuschia Pokémon Center being filled up with people. Let us know if you need anything!
[GYM LEADER BLAINE ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT FROM HIS POSITION OF GYM LEADER OF CINNABAR ISLAND!? WHO WOULD BE HIS REPLACEMENT?!] by Battlecast.
[Pictures of Gym Leader Blaine making his announcement]
It seems that Blaine must have been feeling more responsible for the events of Cinnabar Island than we thought, as he shocked us all twice in a row with his announcement of his retirement as a Gym Leader.
This is the second surprising announcement that we received from the Fire specialist, as he recently volunteered to accept responsibility for failing to do more to ensure that more effective defences were setup around Cinnabar Island.
We here at Battlecast might not be here to discuss politics, but this writer firmly believes that Blaine had martyred himself in a situation where he was blameless. None could deny his heroic actions that day saved many lives.
Unfortunately, Blaine failed to explain his reasonings behind his retirement, merely claiming that he no longer saw himself as suitable for the position and wanting to move on to newer pastures. Many have speculated that the loss of the Gym and its subsequent move to Lavender Town, which was recently confirmed by Lance and will henceforth be called the 'Lavender Gym', may have played a part in his decision.
Upon learning of his retirement, there was an audible outpouring of support from the public of Indigo, where it was clear that a majority of the public did not blame Blaine for the events at Cinnabar. This couldn't contrast any more heavily with the disgrace that Gym Leader Lewis had to face when he was forcefully evicted from his position as Gym Leader of Goldenrod, where he was met with an condemnation of jeers and boos as he was unanimously voted out by his peers.
Putting all those political implications aside, this means that the trainers for the next circuit are going to have to throw out their existing plans for dealing with Blaine, because they likely won't be dealing with a Fire specialist for their 7th Badge! Who knows, the might even be facing Agatha herself, assuming she's willing to retire from the Elite Four and become a Gym Leader.
That would be a nightmare for most trainers.
As soon as we hear any news about who will become the next Gym Leader of both Lavender and Goldenrod, we'll be sure to let you know. So keep your eyes peeled! Especially for those who are planning on competing in the next circuit – making sure you've done your preparation is essential for beating a Gym Leader!
So what do you guys think about Blaine's retirement and the new Gyms? Who do you want to see as the newest Gym Leaders? Comment your thoughts down below!
Comments
KantoRepresent
What the fuck is this shit?! Why did they hold one of the proud Kantonian Gym Leaders responsible? There's no way that Blaine was responsible when he was on the front lines!
ILoveGoldenRod
I'm conflicted. On the one hand, Blaine should be partially responsible as he could have pushed harder for further measures to have been set up to prevent damage. On the other hand, he's hardly the only one responsible, and there are others who are far more culpable than him.
Still, I respect him for taking responsibility and stepping down, even if it wasn't solely his fault.
TangelaThoughts
I think this was an intentional act by Blaine – perhaps he was just looking for an excuse to step down. With Lewis stepping down as well, I wonder who'd be both their replacements?
Gardevoir34
But why do it like this? He could have stepped down in many other ways that wouldn't be so costly to his reputation.
Or perhaps this is just his sense of responsibility?
PunchingBag
HAHAHAH! Of course the Fire type Gym Leader turns out to be irresponsible. You would never see a Fighting Type Gym Leader shirking their responsibilities!
First it was Flint, then it was Lorelei, now it's Blaine and Lewis. All proof that those who train up with inferior types are inferior leaders.
DragonPower
Hard agree. You would never see Clair refusing to give out a badge to someone who defeated her. She's the paragon of what a Gym Leader should be.
FutureAce
Oh please don't make Agatha a Gym Leader. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!
NotTooMuchWater
…Feels like having Agatha become a Gym Leader would be the Indigo equivalent of seeing Wallace as a Gym Leader.
Now that's a scary thought. Good luck to you guys I guess.
[TOPIC: The newly opened Cerulean Caves? Are they worth the trip?] By Exploud Reviews
[Pictures of the inside of the cave. Several strong wild Pokémon can be seen within]
To take your minds off all of the doom and gloom that seem to be spreading like wildfire (bad joke, I know), I wanted to do a review of the recently opened Cerulean Cave located on the outskirts of the same city.
I had the pleasure of being one of the first visitors to the cave, and after the short press tour was over, I quickly registered myself and began exploring deeper within.
That's the first point I'd like to address. Do NOT attempt to explore this cave unless you have obtained all 8 Gym Badges with a comfortable degree of strength. That is one of the strictest regulations that is being vigilantly enforced by the Ace trainers protecting the entrance to the cave, and it's not hard to understand why.
The wild Pokémon here are absolutely no joke. Even for 8 badge holders, you will be repeatedly warned to be prepared before you enter inside. There is absolutely no shame in requesting for one of their Ace trainers to escort you if you are not so confident in your own strength, pricey though the service may be. You will be very thankful for their assistance.
Of course, the strength of the wild Pokémon is also the most attractive aspect of the Cerulean Cave. From my personal observations, the average strength of the Pokémon found within is comparable, if not stronger than, the ones you can find on Mt. Silver – which is renowned throughout Indigo to be THE place to catch strong Pokémon.
Furthermore, it is absolutely possible to find several rare Pokémon that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. According to the advertisement and pamphlets provided by Cerulean City, Pokémon such as Absol, Snorlax, Ditto, and Gyarados could be found within. However, from my two-days of experience exploring through the Cerulean Cave, I must say that they aren't as common as they'd like you to think.
Despite my best efforts, the rarest encounter I managed to have was a tiny glimpse of a Gyarados before it dove down back into the water. That is not to say that I am doubting the veracity of the claims; I'm sure that the Pokémon advertised do indeed exist down here, but this is just to temper your expectations.
Unless you get lucky, you probably won't encounter any of the rarer Pokémon here. So keep that in mind if you intend to explore the Cave.
That being said, the common wild Pokémon are stronger than average as well, with Pokémon such as…[Click here to continue reading]
Comments
RuinsManiac
Oh man! I totally overlooked this! I'll be there to pay it a visit right away! Maybe I'll even find a few notable items that had been overlooked!
PianoLover
LOL! Looks like our John really wanted to bring a sample of Sinnoh over to Indigo! That's pretty cute if he did this because he missed Cynthia.
Gardevoir34
WAIT! YOU THINK THIS WAS A GIFT!? OMA THAT'S SO CUTE!
FlyingHigh
…putting the speculation aside, glad to see that there are some seriously strong Pokémon down there. Maybe I'll visit one day to get a Snorlax of my own.
[GYM LEADER KOGA CHALLENGES ELITE WILL!? AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE!? WHAT IS THE GYM LEADER AIMING TO ACCOMPLISH?!] By Battlecast
[Graphic of Koga vs Will. Each of them are backed up by a few of their Pokémon]
A surprising announcement was made today by the Gym Leader of Fuschia, where he made an official challenge against Elite Will for his position in the Elite Four. The match is scheduled for two weeks' time, to the excitement of many.
Up until this point, Will has not been challenged for his position, nor has he participated in any battles in any official capacity. And the few battles he did fight in, like in the Tournament, he faired poorly. Therefore, many are wondering if we are about to see more of the same, or will Will step it up now that his position is on the line?
As for their teams, Koga boasts a strong lineup of powerful Poison types that have served him well throughout his many years as a veteran and experienced Gym Leader. As he has more than 6 Pokémon, we believe that the team that he will bring to the fight will consist of a Weezing, Seviper, Muk, Venomoth, Forretress, and his starter Crobat.
[Graphic of Koga's Team]
On the other hand, with Will's recency, we still do not have a complete idea of his full team. However, from what he has revealed in his previous battles, he possesses an Espeon, Gardevoir, Hypno, and his starter Xatu. We believe he will also run some version of either Slowking or Slowbro, and one other Indigo Psychic type.
[Graphic of Will's team]
Although it might seem that Will has the Type advantage against Koga, our analysts at Battlecast are confident that Koga's significant experience should be able to overcome that handicap.
Koga is a fast fighter who both relies on burst offences and also stall tactics to either rush down his opponents in a flurry of powerful attacks, or to rely fully on his Pokémon's evasiveness to buy time before the enemy succumbs to the flood of poison that his Poison types spew.
We have yet to see much of how Will fights, though he has been noted to excellently make use of his Psychic type's strengths with a very proficient Teleport. Will that be enough to allow Will to hold his position? Will he have a few tricks up his sleeve that will surprise us all? Or will Koga be the newest Elite Four member?
Who do our readers think will win? We'd love to hear your thoughts! Comment below!
Comments
KantoRepresent
YES! ANOTHER KANTONIAN TO JOIN THE ELITE FOUR?! ABSOLUTELY APPROVED! KOGA WILL CRUSH WILL! THE DIFFERENCE IN EXPERIENCE IS TOO MUCH!
TangelaThoughts
Very curious to see the reasons behind the challenge. Koga must have challenged Will for a reason, but I doubt that it was for any personal reasons. Koga doesn't seem like the type.
I'm more curious about Koga's political vision. What does he hope to achieve?
FearTheRat
I definitely think that Koga holds the advantage here, type matchup or no. As people have already pointed out, Will's recent battle performances have been lacking, and he's inexperienced. Koga has fought many difficult battles before and surely knows what he's doing. He won't falter.
That doesn't mean Will's weak, but Koga's just stronger. Though perhaps Will would surprise us.
AlluteNinja
I believe in our Gym Leader. He might only be the 5th Gym Leader in the traditional route, but that is by no means an indicator of weakness. Koga is as strong as they come. He'll be victorious.
IceColdSimp
Everyone knows Koga challenged Will and not Lorelei because he knew that he would lose to Lorelei!
FutureAce
My money's on Will. I think he has a lot of hidden strength that he has yet to show. I don't think the difference in experience means nearly as much as people are making it out to be.
Excited either way!
ILoveGoldenRod
Likewise! Will hasn't shown us everything yet, and I know he's keeping a few things hidden from us despite all of the showboating. I think Koga might have bitten off more than he could chew.
FlyingHigh
We saw glimpses of Will's true potential in the Tournament. I believe he'll be able to hold his position.
[KAREN WINS! THIS YEAR INDIGO CONFERENCES CONCLUDES WITH A STRONG FINISH FROM OUR NEW WINNER! ANNOUNCES HER CHALLENGE AGAINST HER MENTOR!] By Battlecast
[Karen on the winner's podium, giving a speech]
Us battle enthusiasts are eating good today! Not only do we have the upcoming battle between Koga and Will to look forward to, but now we have another high profile match to be excited about!
Karen's victory in the Indigo Conference comes at little surprise to those who are familiar with her team and have been following her journey thus far. Her defeat of Elite Sidney of Hoenn has cemented the proof of her strength, and she has gone on to solidify that image with her performance in this Conference.
None could stand in her way. Her performance was almost dominant as she swept through her opposition. Even in the Finals, where she faced off Trainer Vettel – who also had a very dominant showing with his hand-picked team of powerful Pokémon – her team of six managed to efficiently defeat his team in a 6-3 victory!
Poor Vettel, but his team of generalists just wasn't able to stand up against the full Dark type firepower of Karen.
However, her victory was quickly overshadowed by the announcement that she made.
"Agatha! My mentor! The one who has trained and moulded me to become the Trainer that I am today! I challenge you! I will repay you for your many teachings! I will prove that your training has not been wasted on me! I will show off all that you have taught me, and all that I have learnt from you! Prepare yourself, for I will surpass you!"
It seems like the age-old tale of the student looking to surpass their teacher! We're very excited to see if Karen will live up to her words, and we're definitely rooting for her as the underdog. Because make no mistake, as much as Karen's dominating performance may suggest otherwise, Agatha has a storied history of victories over the many opponents that have foolishly challenged her position over the years.
She has not been able to remain in the Elite Four for nothing. In her most recent fight in the Tournament, her Ghost types were incredibly dominant – only barely losing to John in a nail-biting finale.
Overall, Agatha is certainly not one to be underestimated, even with her Type disadvantage. And considering that Agatha must have trained Karen, we highly doubt that this type disadvantage will even be a factor. And that's not even considering the years of experience that Agatha has as one of the most experienced trainers right now.
Karen has a tough opponent ahead of her! But she must already know this, so the fact that she made the challenge regardless must mean that she is confident that she has a chance to win against her mentor. We really hope to see an exciting battle between the two of them! And may the best trainer win!
What about you guys? Who do you think will win?!
Comments
FutureAce
?! What's with all these battles?! Can't say I'm disappointed though! Absolutely rooting for Karen. Agatha's been in the Elite Four for too long – it's time to shake things up!
Oh and congratulations to Karen for her victory! Well fought!
FearTheRat
Anyone else think this battle's going to be a lot of: I know what you're thinking but I know you know that I know that you know what I'm thinking, so I'm going to do X instead.
I mean, Agatha and Karen know basically everything about each other right? Surely they'd know all of each other's tricks.
SlugmaBalls
Can't wait to see Karen back in action again in a proper fight that could test her limits. I admit that her victory over in the Indigo Conference, while well deserved, wasn't that intense when compared to her fight against Elite Sidney. Honestly, she felt a little too strong for her competition.
I'd love to see how she fares against Agatha compared to Sidney. She won against Sidney by the closest of margins, so this battle would be a good indicator of the relative strength level between Agatha and Sidney.
NotTooMuchWater
Eh, I think Agatha's going to be a more difficult fight than Sidney. Not to bash Sidney, but I think Agatha has a more respected reputation for a reason. Then again, Karen and Agatha do know each other very well, so maybe the fight would be incredibly even.
DetectivePikachu
Does no one think that Agatha's going to be sandbagging the fight to let Karen win? Are you guys all that naïve?
TangelaThoughts
Firstly, if Agatha were to sandbag it'd be incredibly obvious to any analyst who's seen her past matches. Agatha's level of strength is well-documented, so we would be able to tell if she was pulling her punches.
Secondly, since it's pretty much implied that Karen intends to succeed Agatha politically, it would look terrible for Karen if it was found out that Agatha had 'gifted' the position to her – and would devastate her political credibility. I think Agatha is wily enough to avoid that.
DarkRebel (Verified POG)
Congratulations on your victory, Karen! Can't wait for the battle! Or a rematch between us, whatever works!
DarkManager
Thank you! Next time you come over I'll hold you to that! But for now I have a battle to win!
A.N. And that concludes the "A New Dawn" Arc. I hope you've enjoyed everything so far, and thanks again for sticking with this story up until now. There will be plenty of battles coming up!
And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!